UbuntuNet Alliance invites researchers, librarians, repository managers, National Research and Education Network teams, research networks, open-source advocates and other open science stakeholders to the next session of the OPAR Open Science Webinar Series: “Strengthening Africa’s Research Ecosystem Through Open Infrastructure.”
This special webinar will feature Invest in Open Infrastructure (IOI), the funder of the project “Unlocking Potential: Elevating Open Institutional Repositories in Africa for Global Impact.” It offers participants a valuable opportunity to hear directly from the project funder, understand the thinking and support behind the initiative, and learn how the project is strengthening the people, infrastructure and communities needed to advance open science across Africa.
The session will be presented by Jerry Sellanga, Development and Communications Coordinator at IOI. He will introduce IOI’s mission to advance research through open infrastructure, share insights from the organization’s engagement with research communities across Africa, and explain how the IOI Fund for Network Adoption supports research and scholarship in the Global South.
The webinar will explore:
- What open infrastructure means and the benefits it offers African researchers
- The IOI Fund for Network Adoption and the role of strategic support
- How African researchers and institutions can engage with IOI
- Insights from IOI’s engagement with the African research community
For participants who want to understand the wider OPAR initiative, this webinar provides a particularly important window into the project’s purpose, funding partnership and long-term vision. It will also place the OPAR ecosystem—including repository capacity building, DSpace as a Service and the continental discovery role of the Open Pan-African Repository—within the broader open infrastructure landscape.
Date: Aug 28, 2026
Time: 11:00 a.m. CAT
Presenter: Jerry Sellanga, Development and Communications Coordinator, Invest in Open Infrastructure
Moderator: Harold Bowa, Business Development and Communications Officer, UbuntuNet Alliance
Registration: https://ubuntunet.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iMG75j4uTo6FzD_zLpwzKw
Register to join the conversation and learn how investment in open infrastructure can help make African research more visible, accessible and reusable.